Aristocat
Well-known member
So I haven't scoured through the Friedman section of RT in a while and I know this has probably been beaten to death but here are my thoughts.
To give you guys a better idea of the sounds I'm getting, here's my detailed setup.
Gibson Les Paul: WCR Godwood (B) Sheptone Blue Sky (N) 3-Way DpDt switch for series/coil/parallel.
Mogami Gold Series Cables.
1971 Friedman KS Modded Plexi: BE/HBE/C45/SAT/Loop/Depth/1-2 Power/EL34 (JJ)
1992 Marshall AX Cabinet: 2 Scumback BM75's (65W-M Cones). Wired in S/P at 8 ohms. Bottom two holes of the cabinet are sealed with 3/4" thick birch cut outs.
T.C Electronics G-Major
Korg Pitchblack
BE: Super aggressive; mid heavy channel. Tons of gain and a multitude of tones to be had here just by messing with different volume/tone combinations on the guitar. I can easily dime the bass and gain and the channel never bottoms out or becomes muddled. It's also super articulate and defined with amazing note separation and clarity. Massive low end, ripping mids and smooth highs are to be found in this channel as well. Has Dave's awesome twist while retaining all of the Plexi characteristics that I love too. Brown tones can also be had provided that the controls are dialed in properly. I know these are short and sweet sentences but this amp is so perfect in my opinion.
Disclaimer: You (and myself) will never sound like EVH. Get over it. It's a point of reference; not a mantra.
HBE: Way more aggressive. I know this simplistic but never before have I played an amp that can have the bass dimed without becoming muddled. Dave has found the way of coaxing an amazingly tight low end out of each channel (this one in particular) that adds just enough low mids to make the amp cut. This channel to me sounds a little darker (to my liking) and seems to have added compression to give notes the right cut in a solo mix. Easily becoming my favorite as it sounds like the BE channel with an extremely transparent O.D in front of it.
C45: I like this with the BE as it adds a little more compression and low end. The highs seem to soften a bit while having the benefit of more punch in the upper register. Makes a dark guitar really shine and cut.
SAT: Nice feature to have. 80's tones in spades. I've found that with my combination of speakers and pickups that when engaged, I need to dial back on the treble and presence to get something a little smoother out of the amp.
Half Power: Self explanatory.
Loop: Extremely transparant without any coloration at all. I've run both line level and instrument level pedals/rack units through it and it behaves beautifully.
Overall Impression: This is my dream amp. I waited two years before pulling the trigger and although it took a great while to get back to me, I couldn't be happier. It's been a month since I've had it and I can't even count how many hours I have logged on it. Dave's work on my amp puts a constant smile on my face every time I plug into it. The Master Volume is extremely useful and works like a volume control ought to.
Thanks again Dave for giving me an amazing product and for being so helpful through calls/e-mails and to Mark for being extremely informative and approachable whenever I called.
-Domenic
To give you guys a better idea of the sounds I'm getting, here's my detailed setup.
Gibson Les Paul: WCR Godwood (B) Sheptone Blue Sky (N) 3-Way DpDt switch for series/coil/parallel.
Mogami Gold Series Cables.
1971 Friedman KS Modded Plexi: BE/HBE/C45/SAT/Loop/Depth/1-2 Power/EL34 (JJ)
1992 Marshall AX Cabinet: 2 Scumback BM75's (65W-M Cones). Wired in S/P at 8 ohms. Bottom two holes of the cabinet are sealed with 3/4" thick birch cut outs.
T.C Electronics G-Major
Korg Pitchblack
BE: Super aggressive; mid heavy channel. Tons of gain and a multitude of tones to be had here just by messing with different volume/tone combinations on the guitar. I can easily dime the bass and gain and the channel never bottoms out or becomes muddled. It's also super articulate and defined with amazing note separation and clarity. Massive low end, ripping mids and smooth highs are to be found in this channel as well. Has Dave's awesome twist while retaining all of the Plexi characteristics that I love too. Brown tones can also be had provided that the controls are dialed in properly. I know these are short and sweet sentences but this amp is so perfect in my opinion.
Disclaimer: You (and myself) will never sound like EVH. Get over it. It's a point of reference; not a mantra.
HBE: Way more aggressive. I know this simplistic but never before have I played an amp that can have the bass dimed without becoming muddled. Dave has found the way of coaxing an amazingly tight low end out of each channel (this one in particular) that adds just enough low mids to make the amp cut. This channel to me sounds a little darker (to my liking) and seems to have added compression to give notes the right cut in a solo mix. Easily becoming my favorite as it sounds like the BE channel with an extremely transparent O.D in front of it.
C45: I like this with the BE as it adds a little more compression and low end. The highs seem to soften a bit while having the benefit of more punch in the upper register. Makes a dark guitar really shine and cut.
SAT: Nice feature to have. 80's tones in spades. I've found that with my combination of speakers and pickups that when engaged, I need to dial back on the treble and presence to get something a little smoother out of the amp.
Half Power: Self explanatory.
Loop: Extremely transparant without any coloration at all. I've run both line level and instrument level pedals/rack units through it and it behaves beautifully.
Overall Impression: This is my dream amp. I waited two years before pulling the trigger and although it took a great while to get back to me, I couldn't be happier. It's been a month since I've had it and I can't even count how many hours I have logged on it. Dave's work on my amp puts a constant smile on my face every time I plug into it. The Master Volume is extremely useful and works like a volume control ought to.
Thanks again Dave for giving me an amazing product and for being so helpful through calls/e-mails and to Mark for being extremely informative and approachable whenever I called.
-Domenic
